Into the mind of chef Riley Sanders

Abstract cuisine using local ingredients on bespoke ceramics is the name of the game at the Michelin-starred Canvas.

Chef Riley Sanders’ 20-course (B6,900++), you read that right, is an exploration of the relationship between colour and flavour in food, using the highest quality Thai ingredients. The simplest way to describe it would be artistry with the colours, textures, flavours and even tableware maintaining a delicate balance. This is not minimalism art. At any part of the 20-course degustation menu, you will ask yourself: ‘Why the need for so many things on a plate?’, I know I did. It works, for the most part.

“At Canvas, we are always working on the menu and with what’s available in the market. After five years of cooking this way, I thought of doing something more creative and Covid was an instigator for this new menu. During Covid, I started painting to keep myself entertained and be creative, which I used to do at the restaurant. Eventually, we opened with a menu inspired by my paintings, which number around 70 now. I was just ready to bring the amazing possible to life. When I look at the menu now, I don’t think that it’s about the number of courses. If we are serving the food that we want to, and making the point that we want to and getting the message across, using all the ingredients in the ways we want to throughout the menu; if that can happen in six courses that’s great and if its 60, that’s fine, too,” says chef Sanders, who I like to call the Willy Wonka of Thailand, about the current menu, “The Colour Of Flavour”.

“This menu was kind of an epiphany when it came to me. It was one fo those moments when you’re lying in bed at 3am; and I couldn't sleep after that… having all these ideas racing in my brain. Two days later, I started to draw the designs that eventually became all the tableware that we would serve all the food on. It’s black and white because it showcases the food best. We use very minimal colouring in our food, it is all natural colouring. The menu also started with researching scientific articles published over the last 30-40 years and essentially this may be a new idea for a menu that only uses Thai ingredients, it is not a new idea if you’re looking back over 1,000 years of history and we’ve been selectively hybridising vegetables and fruits for their colour. For example, carrots used to be white and wines have been manipulated over time to get their colour, and this is closely linked to what they would taste like. I could present you with a banana, which is blue. But you are going to perceive the blue banana tasting different compared to a normal banana. It’s not a thing in your tastebuds that is making that perception, understanding those scientific sides of colour and flavour is where this menu began,” explains chef Sanders.

Begin with “The flavour of colour” in the form of Ikejime fish from Surat Thani with mountain kombu, young galangal, eggfruit, hor wor, white turmeric, orange chilli, jicama, Bengal currant and perilla leaf. The fish changes daily due to seasonality and is lightly cured with mountain kombu, charred on binchotan, and presented raw. Seven individually flavoured shaved ices are served, melting on the palate and collectively combining into harmonious, distinctive flavours that match the bold colours presented.

Caviar from Hua Hin is served with black kaffir lime, black sunchoke, black shallot, fried shallot, garcinia cowa leaf, toasted milk, riceberry and roasted yeast. Colour associations in food refer to specific colours that are commonly related with individual tastes. Umami is brown: the taste of maillardisation, caramelisation and transformation. This is one bite of all brown components to be eaten with the hands, highlighting the depth of umami achieved by precise technique focused within a narrow colour range.

Cool rainbow is the dish with Rainbow lobster from Phuket, elephant ear stem, Marian plum umeboshi, green Brazilian pepper, green jinda chilli, butterfly pea flower, coconut, green mango and dill. A cool preparation of barely cooked and lightly smoked lobster is paired with cool, fresh flavours and colours on the cool side of the cooler spectrum. Anthocyanins in butterfly pea flowers react to changes in its pH level, which result in the range of vivid, cool colours presented.

Duck in chartreuse, violet and vermillion contains Barbary duck from Khao Yai, banana chilli, prickly ash, garlic, purple long bean, sweet basil, yoghurt and shiitake. All parts of the duck are used for this. The breast is lightly cured and seasoned with fresh citrus and spices, the skin is roasted into crisps, the eggs are cured with fish sauce and made into an emulsion with its smoked fat and the bones are roasted for jus. The triadic colour scheme reflects the flavour of the bite itself: vibrant, contrasting, complementary.

“The menu allows me to be more who I am and express my vision,” says chef Riley, and I’m sure by now you’re getting it. So, I shall skip a few courses and highlight a few.

“A few greens with a lot of flavors” is a vibrant medley of morning glory, Indian borage, snake gourd, okra, asparagus, guava, cucumber, green spur chilli, celtuce, bone marrow, fermented fish, ant eggs and seasonal herbs. Multiple preparations and components of greens are presented, highlighting the diversity and abundance of flavour and texture in green vegetables and plants from all regions of Thailand. This dish is intended to be enjoyed by taking bites of several components together to ensure a variety of flavours in every bite.

Wagyu and nightshades uses Wagyu from Sakon Nakhon, potato, tomato, pepper, eggplant, gooseberry and goji berry. Thai Wagyu striploin is grilled over binchotan and glazed with an umami sauce made with caramelised soy and confit garlic. It’s served with several components and variations of produce from the nightshades family, all also referencing shades of the evening sky. To eat, carefully crack the veil of potato chip covering the wagyu, then mix and match bites of wagyu with the 20 separate sauces and garnishes on the plate.

Moving to desserts and though they weren’t my favourite had at Canvas, they are a delight to look at. Purple sticky berry cake is made from fragrant purple yams with sticky rice flour and butter. It is served with fruity, berry flavours in different textures and presented as a gradient of separate colours. The dessert highlights unique flavours that merge together, blending fresh, fruity, floral and herbal flavours.

Though what is most unusual is the Fruit palette. The final serving presents a collection of fruit in nine separate forms. The fruits change seasonally depending on what’s best, reflecting Canvas’ approach to and inspiration directly from the ingredients. Jackfruit and bee pollen, rose apple and rose, green mangosteen and jasmine, durian and bitter orange, snakefruit and cashew, semi-dehydrated watermelon, pink guava jelly, and cotton candy with dried fruit powders. Phew, that’s a mouthful!

A B3,000 baht deposit per person is required to secure a reservation, fully refundable up to 24 hours before the reservation time. Canvas doesn’t accommodate vegan or vegetarian requests. Call 099-614-1158 or email [email protected].